Rumor has it that Vermont can get a bit chilly in the winter, but central planners don’t worry about little things like that.

The Center Square (February 7):

Electric buses are proving unreliable this winter for Vermont’s Green Mountain Transit, as it needs to be over 41 degrees for the buses to charge.

But surely they can be charged somewhere inside.

The Center Square:

Due to a battery recall the buses are a fire hazard and can’t be charged in a garage.

The Center Square:

General manager at Green Mountain Transit (GMT) Clayton Clark told The Center Square that “the federal government provides public transit agencies with new buses through a competitive grant application process, and success is not a given.”

“From 2020-2024, the [Federal Transit Administration’s] priority for grants had been low or no emission vehicles, with grant requests for diesel buses often not awarded,” Clark said.

“This was part of a concerted effort of the previous administration to accelerate public transits’ migration to replace diesel buses,” Clark said.

“To be competitive for a grant, GMT…saw electric battery buses as the pathway to get the most new buses,” Clark said. “Green Mountain Transit’s priority is new buses, regardless of the type.”

Clark informed The Center Square that GMT’s “electric battery buses are 90% paid for by federal and Volkswagen settlement funds.”

So central planners wanted to “encourage” electric buses, in this case by skewing subsidies — another deviation from any kind of free market process — toward the EVs and away from buses more likely to cope with the cold.

GMT received five New Flyer SE40 city buses in spring 2025. This was part of “a three-year grant cycle for 19 total electric battery buses.”

Had New Flyer, I wondered, been receiving taxpayer support.

I think you can guess, but first some background from New Flyer’s website:

New Flyer is a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. (NFI), one of the world’s largest bus and coach manufacturers.

NFI is a Canadian multinational headquartered in Winnipeg, a city familiar with cold. I went to that city a few times at the end of 1980s/early 1990s, including during the winter. On at least one of those occasions, the greeting at the airport included frostbite warnings. I have also been to the intersection in Winnipeg at Portage and Main in the middle of winter. On foot. Not recommended (Canadians will understand).

Anyhoo . . .

NFI has a whole section on “sustainability” on its website, generally a bad sign, particularly if the company means it.

Back to the New Flyer website (emphasis added to greenish/”new urbanist” jargon):

Leveraging 450 years of combined experience, NFI is leading the electrification of mass mobility around the world. With zero-emission buses and coaches, infrastructure, and technology, NFI meets today’s urban demands for scalable smart mobility solutions. Together, NFI is enabling more livable cities through connected, clean, and sustainable transportation.

NFI EVs have collectively travelled 265+ million zero-emission miles and continue to decrease the carbon footprint of transportation while delivering clean, safe, quiet mobility.

To be nitpicky about it, an EV is only as “clean” as the process by which it is manufactured and powered.

From a press release (August 6, 2024):

NFI’s subsidiary, New Flyer has been named as a partner of choice by 14 transit agencies receiving more than 338 million USD in FTA grants.

The competitive grant awards have been made through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA’s) 2024 Low- or No-Emission (Low-No) and Buses and Bus Facilities (BBF) programmes.

Vermont’s five electric buses had been working well until November when the batteries “were recalled for fire hazard.”

The Center Square:

The recall prompted a software update from New Flyer to “decrease the likelihood for fire” that “included only allowing the bus to charge to 75% and to not allow charging when the battery is below 41 degrees,” Clark explained.

“Previously we could charge in any temperature to 100%,” Clark said.

As GMT’s bus garage “does not have suitable fire mitigation equipment to store or charge an electric bus indoors at this time,” the transportation system is unable to use its electric buses when temperatures hit below 41.

“Since the barrier to charging under 41 degrees is simply a software update, the manufacturer could find a technical solution that could resolve the problem this week,” Clark said. “We are seeking a financial remedy from New Flyer that could lead to litigation if not resolved.”

“New Flyer has indicated that replacement batteries will be installed within 18-24 months,” Clark said.

Clark also noted GMT is working on improving its fire mitigation equipment via a “pending federal grant.”

Start your mornings with expert political insights from NR’s Jim Geraghty.

… Senator Bernie Sanders’ media relations has not yet responded to The Center Square’s two requests for comment.

On a completely unrelated note, here’s a link to a post I put up on the Corner in January 2024 about problems affecting Oslo’s electric bus fleet. These had been triggered by the cold, such a rarity in winter in Norway. At around 4.30 p.m., people were being urged to get home, since about 1,000 out of 13,000 bus departures had been canceled in Oslo and its surrounding area.

Ruter, the company responsible for operating the buses, asked for patience “while we learn to cope with the [energy] transition.”

To which I asked: “Why?”

After all:

Is the decarbonization of Oslo’s bus fleet going to make the slightest difference to the climate? Spoiler: No.

One of the benchmarks of human progress over the centuries has been our increased resilience in the face of unfavorable weather conditions. So far, anyway, the electrification of Oslo’s bus fleet has reduced that resilience. Doubtless this will improve somewhat in time, but, for now, this does not look like progress to me.

More problems are expected on Tuesday and Wednesday, but Ruter will be deploying a small reserve of diesel-powered (horrors!) “emergency buses,” which, if I understand the NRK report correctly, were in regular service until the turn of the year.

Oh yes: The diesel buses work.

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